What can you expect from a car 20 years old? The body of my 1963 Volkswagen had dents everywhere, but the car still ran quite well. Occasionally the stick gearshift would come out of its socket, and I would have to find my metric wrenches, remove the bolts, and put the shifting mechanism back where it belonged. Finally, that problem was fixed with wire from a clothes hanger. Another problem was the accelerator pedal. At times it would not depress very far, and although I would push harder it would not go down any farther.. Most of the time it would work just fine. In spite of its various problems, I was convinced that the car was in excellent condition.
Knowing that I easily could have problems requiring me to stop, I avoided busy streets, taking back roads to work, not wanting to risk driving on the freeway since the gas pedal problem seemed to be getting worse.
It was a beautiful morning and my thoughts were not on the gas pedal... then suddenly they were! I had been driving up an overpass of the freeway when the gas pedal would not go down far enough to keep the car moving. The car slowed to a stop and then began to roll backward—with traffic behind me!
Stepping on the brake, I slowly let the car drift backward off to the side of the road.
I had to make a telephone call and get a ride to work because of that old car. I had thought it would make it—that it would be dependable. Even though I thought it was a good car, there was really so much wrong with it that it should have been hauled off to the junkyard long ago.
That old Volkswagen reminds me of how many people depend on “junkyard material” to get them through life and into heaven: “Oh, I’m okay,” they say, “I’ll just patch up my life here and quit doing this... after all, no one is perfect—we’re all human.”
That Volkswagen wasn’t too bad either. It got me to work most of the time, could go as fast as 80 MPH if need be, had a few dents, and the inside was comfortable—overall it basically did the job. But you know, that just wasn’t good enough. Eventually I had to depend on someone else’s reliable car to get me to my final desired destination. Things like good works and turning over a new leaf are like patching up the old Volkswagen—they will never get us to the desired destination. The Bible tells.us, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:66But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)), and “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). We need to depend on something other than “our best” to make us fit for heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ could say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6). There is no other way to heaven outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. He also said, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37). He will take our lives and make them new— “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:1717Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). There will never be any need for patchwork again.
ML-10/07/1984